The 12-Year feud Between the Hatfields and the McCoys
The Hatfield-McCoy
feud has gone down in
history as one of the most famous
battles between families of all time. Most agree that the feud symbolizes the
violence associated with 19th-century
Appalachian mountain culture, though in more recent years some have claimed the feud was more complex, involving competition over
resources and
corporate economic development in the West Virginia/Kentucky region. Also, it is believed that the feud between the two families foreshadowed the bloody
coal mine wars of the 1920s.
The Hatfields, led by William Anderson "
Devil Anse" Hatfield, were a financially successful family, having realized the importance of
timber in the region early on. The family tended to brag about their success, fostering
jealousy amoung the other families in
Tug Valley. The McCoys, led by
Randolph McCoy, harbored the most resentment for the Hatfields because their efforts in timber had ended in
disaster.
The feud began,
according to legend, in 1878 when Randolph McCoy accused Floyd Hatfield of stealing his
hog. At the time, this was a very serious offense as
livestock was one of the most important components of the
farming economy in
Tug Valley. The court ruled against Randolph McCoy and though he accepted the verdict, resentment between the two families
festered.
The feud became more heated four years later, when Devil Anse's son Johnse Hatfield
courted and
impregnated, but did not
marry, Randolph McCoy's daughter
Roseanna. Shortly after this affair Roseanna's three brothers killed Devil Anse's brother Ellison. The court system broke down due to confusion about
jurisdiction, so Devil Anse retaliated himself by killing Randolph McCoy's three sons near what is now
Matewan, WV.
No
legal action was taken against Devil Anse until five years later when Perry Cline, an attorney who was also a distant cousin of Randolph McCoy, used his influence with the
Governor of Kentucky to reissue the murder indictments against the Hatfields. The process was apparently too slow for Cline's liking however, because he recruited a
posse to cross into
West Virginia and capture nine Hatfield sympathizers. This action led to a series of
skirmishes along
Grapevine Creek and an attempt by the Hatfields to murder Randolph McCoy on
January 1, 1888. In the attempt, two of Randolph's children were killed in a
fire.
Despite the efforts by the Governor of West Virginia, Devil Anse Hatfield was never
jailed or tried in court. He sold his Tug Valley lands and took his family to
Sarah Ann, West Virginia.
The feud had lasted
twelve years and left
twelve dead.
The information in this write-up is based on a web article entitled The Hatfield and McCoy Feud by Altina Waller